Osterback & Qvarnberg (1987) reported that the incidence of respiratory tract infections was not elevated in young participants actively engaged in sports compared to controls. These data imply that youth can participate in sports for several hours daily without negative changes in immunosurveillance. Few data are currently available on exercise-induced changes in immune function among adolescents, which in general appears similar to adults (Boas et al., 1996; Tharp, 1991; Wolach et al., 1998).

In this study, the response of the immune system to a 2-hr intensive bout of tennis drills was measured in adolescent male and female athletes. We hypothesized that perturbations in immunity following intensive tennis drills would be of lower magnitude than previously measured in response to continuous, endurance exercise (Bishop et al., 1999; Nieman & Pedersen, 1999). Participants ingested carbohydrate beverages during the tennis drills according recommendations from sports nutrition professionals. Previous research has shown that carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion has little or no influence on the immune response to sports drills (Bishop et al., 1999; Nieman et al., 1999).

Methods

Participants

Participants included 10 male and 10 female elite teenage tennis athletes (age range: 14-18 years) from the Van Der Meer World Class Tennis Training Center in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Informed consent was obtained from each participant, and the experimental procedures were in accordance with the policy statements of the institutional review board of Appalachian State University. The athletes reported an estimate of weekly exercise training duration in a questionnaire. Maximal aerobic power and heart rate were measured during a graded cycle ergometer protocol (Storer, Davis, & Caiozzo, 1990), using the MedGraphics CPX Express metabolic system (MedGraphics Corporation, St. Paul, MN) and chest heart rate monitors (Polar Electro Inc., Woodbury, NY). Body composition was estimated from seven skinfolds using the equations of Jackson & Pollock (1985).

Ideas Exchange: Do You Believe That Physical Education Teachers and Coaches Should Have to Pass a Physical Fitness Assessment as Part of Their Licensure or Certification Requirements?
Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators, Vol. 22, No. 4, March-April 2009

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